Whilst the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina have the prime responsibility to clarify the fate of missing persons in the country and to support their families, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in accordance with its mandate and as stipulated in annex seven of the Dayton Peace Agreement, is committed to clarifying the fate of all persons remaining unaccounted for.

More then 22,000 persons reported to the ICRC as missing during the hostilities, some 12,500 persons are still unaccounted for and are listed by the ICRC. Nearly 10'000 cases have been solved since 1995, majority through DNA matching procedures and identification process run by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in cooperation with the BiH authorities. The ICRC, in cooperation with the Red Cross Society of BiH and National Red Cross Societies abroad, have contributed to that exercise by providing ante mortem data information to the forensic experts in charge of identification process. In addition, the ICRC supports, in cooperation with ICMP, effective functioning of recently established Missing Persons Institute of BiH.

The right to know the fate of a missing relative is a fundamental concern of international humanitarian law and human rights law and it must be upheld and respected. The question of persons unaccounted for remains a crucial reconciliation issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in the region as a whole.